Not All Eyes are the Same, Pt. I

Scout   ©2018 Pearl of Light, DeviantArt

You stand on a tall hill, bow in hand, gazing at the valley below and searching for your mark. The air is crisp, and dawn’s silver mists have retreated from the sun’s warm rays. You shield your brow from the celestial blaze as you peer down at the forest’s edge, a stone’s throw from the peaceful hamlet. You know a menace lurks there, hidden behind the trees, waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting country folks. You watch carefully for movement amid the shadows. Can you not see the threat? Perhaps it sees you.

A common question while adventuring concerns what one can see. Two topics follow. Pt. I focuses on distance and environmental conditions; Pts. II and III on organic and indigenous matters. What can a person perceive compared with a feline, a canine, a raptor, or a monster? Their eyes aren’t the same. Even elves, dwarves, and halflings may not see the world exactly as humans do. Nature gave them the means to see what they must.

Part I is written primarily from the point of view of a human being with 20/20 sight. Pt. II will address people from different biospheres and demi-humans, and Pt. III animals and monsters.

Weather Conditions
            Standard weather forecasting tools are readily available to define common visibility benchmarks.

            In other words, in Clear weather and with sufficient light and elevation, one can easily see major features like a building or a mountain across a standard D&D BECMI 8-mile hex. A human observer with 20/20 vision can perceive a man-sized object as a tiny dot up to about 2 to 3 kilometers (1.2 to 1.8 miles). With a spyglass, one can identify a cavalry banner 4 miles away, spot a man-sized object about 8 miles away, enemy troop movement 16 miles away, and a large galleon 28 miles away (with enough elevation to overcome Earth’s curvature, like from a skyship). Curvature otherwise blocks ground objects from view after 3 miles.
            Distances listed in this article are approximated for simplicity. The DM can adjust them as needed. Factoring in weather and air quality, reduce these distances by the same proportion. Very roughly, halve distances with Moderate conditions, divide them by 5 for Low, and by 10 for Poor/Hazardous.

Other Details
            Visual ranges determine what level of detail is visible, as listed below. Multiply the distances below by about 5 with a spyglass.

Camouflage and Motion
            A soldier in high-contrast clothing might be spotted easily from 2,000 meters away under good conditions. Adequate camouflage can reduce detection range to just 100 to 200 meters. Sudden motion, however, may shatter the illusion of an otherwise perfectly hidden target. This is especially true in the predators' eyes (like cats, dogs, eagles, dragons, etc.) The chart below gives the odds observers will spot sudden movement within their natural visual ranges.

            Humans possess a narrow 190-degree field of vision with slow image processing compared with predators. A horse, although a prey animal, is exceedingly good at spotting movement—about 90%-95% odds within a 350-degree field of vision. Sudden motion from something hidden up to that point will likely spook an equine. Part III of this article will further address how biology affects wildlife’s ability to perceive their environment.

The Trouble with Spyglasses
            Early optical devices are more vulnerable to weather conditions and other factors than the naked eye. High humidity or rapid temperature changes cause condensation inside the spyglass. Rain or sea spray can cover the outside lens. High heat causes the image to ripple, warp, and shimmer like water. Twilight or heavy overcast renders the spyglass useless because too little light enters its narrow tube to create an image the eye can perceive. If subject to movement (riding a horse, standing on a ship’s deck in rough seas, or on a skyship in high winds), the spyglass's narrow field of view can’t be aligned with the target; the image inside the tube quickly shifts and jitters, entirely defeating the spyglass’s purpose and causing motion sickness to its user. In Low or Poor/Hazardous weather conditions, the spyglass is mostly useless.

Ambient Light
            The lower the ambient light, the shorter the visual range. For simplicity, apply the following rules of thumb. In full daylight, use the ranges listed earlier. To perceive a man-sized object in overcast conditions, roughly halve the visual range; at twilight or dusk, divide the distance by 5; in full moonlight, by 30; under starlight only, by 150. The chart below gives relative ranges.

            By twilight, red and yellow begin to look like black or dark gray. Under full moonlight, everything turns shades of silvery-gray. In heavy mist, cool colors (blues, purples, greens) wash out and fade into white or gray; warm colors (reds and ambers) can pierce through fog slightly better. With wildfire smoke or in a dust storm, entire landscapes take on a monochromatic amber or crimson tint.

Backlighting or Silhouetting
            If a light source behind an object is powerful enough to be seen from a distance, the human eye can easily detect the object’s geometric "break" in that light, even more so if it moves.

            Under clear, pitch-black conditions, a night-adapted human eye can spot the glowing tip of a smoldering cigarette up to 100 to 150 meters (330 to 500 feet). When a smoker takes a "drag" or lights a match, the hotter flare intensifies the light output, allowing a human observer to spot the glow from up to 500 meters (about 0.3 miles) away. Under the same conditions, a burning torch can be spotted from 4 to 6 kilometers (2.5 to 3.7 miles); an oil lantern from roughly 2.5 to 4 kilometers (1.5 to 2.5 miles).
            A human observer can see a 30-foot-radius D&D light spell from 6.5 to 9.5 kilometers (4 to 6 miles) away, while aerial predators (eagles, griffons) can spot it from more than 10 miles away. Underground, such a spell is like setting off a flashbang in the eyes of Underdark creatures (dwarves, orcs, goblins, dark elves). A human observer on a high vantage point could observe a 40-foot-diameter fireball (and fireworks in general) from 48 to 64 kilometers (30 to 40 miles) away. Even with hills blocking direct line of sight to the area of effect, the spell’s glow can be spotted in the sky from dozens of miles away. A fireball would likely blind nocturnal animals looking directly at the area of effect from a few hundred yards away while the spell flares. Stranger things are also visible in the dead of night, as follows:


Vision Underwater
            Water severely restricts visual distances, even while wearing a diver’s mask, as follows:

            At 10 meters (33 ft), ambient light drops to 15% of surface light, making the aquatic environment look predominantly blue-green. At 40 meters (130 ft), darkness reigns with 1.5% of surface light filtering through. This directly affects the distances listed in the above chart. Waters in caves require artificial light. In a pool of pristine water at shallow depth under surface daylight, horizontal visibility while wearing goggles ranges between 50 and 60 meters (164 to 196 feet).
            Red disappears completely at just 5 meters (15 feet) deep, turning dark brown or black. Orange fades at 20 meters, and yellow vanishes by 50 meters. At lower depths, the only color that can be identified is deep violet-blue, meaning any creature without aquatic eyes sees a completely blue-monochrome world.
            A masked observer in pitch-black conditions can perceive a 30-foot-radius D&D light spell from 120 to 180 meters (400 to 600 feet) away in clear water. If the same spell is cast in a lake, river, or coastal sea, natural turbidity drops the visual range to a mere 5 to 15 meters (16 to 50 feet).
            Within the area of effect, the caster can clearly see immediate surroundings. The light spell’s color, however, may create a twilight-like halo around the area of effect as wide as 30 feet, allowing some perception outside the spell’s limit, as listed in the chart below. On the other hand, the most efficient color piercing through water also makes it more visible to outside observers.

            Wikipedia states the following: “A diver's distance judgment is warped. At close range in clear water, magnification makes things look about 25% closer than they are. As things move farther away, the water's natural cloudiness (turbidity) destroys contrast, causing the brain to overcompensate and perceive a distant silhouette as much farther away than it actually is.” Sea elves and aquatic monsters are immune to this effect.

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That’s it for environmental conditions. Parts II and III will compare the visual acuity of people, animals, and a few monsters, and how their sight has adapted to their natural worlds. Until then, keep your eyes peeled. Wink, wink...

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

©2016 Bethesda Softworks (ZeniMax Media)

At least in D&D BECMI, Deception is just a Charisma-based skill. It’s a simple way to handle it. I wanted to expand on this. Lying is as much a skill as it is an art (for some characters), but it should involve the listener, known as the “mark.” Some people are just bad liars to begin with, but a bit of experience can improve one’s chances.
            Let’s first uncouple Deception from Charisma and treat it separately. Roll 3d4 for the base lying skill. This should yield an average lying talent of 7-8 vs. d20 skill checks (a roll of 1 always succeeds; a roll of 20 always fails). Then apply Tier 1 modifiers to the liar’s base skill score:

In Sooth! Thou dost mangle the truth

with a most clumsy tongue.

Tier 1 Modifiers (Liar Only)
−3 for paladins
−1 for mystics
−1 for lawful* characters other than paladins (*) LG in other game versions.
+1 or more for a well-crafted/roleplayed and credible tale with verifiable evidence
−1 for a lie greater than a trivial untruth
−2 for a bigger and questionable lie
−3 for a tall tale

Tier 2 Modifiers (Liar and its Marks)
+/−1 for every 7 experience levels or HD (so, at levels 7, 14, 21, and 28)
+/−1 to 3 for one of the highest of Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom attribute bonuses
+/−2 for thieves and “roguish” characters in general (incl. bards and courtesans)
+/−2 with the Deception skill or equivalent
            Tier 2 bonuses apply to the liar. Penalties reflect the mark’s discernment.

Example: A level 1 thief with a base skill score of 7 attempts to fast speak while facing a red dragon. The thief’s modifiers are −3 for tall tale, +2 for the thief class, +2 Charisma bonus, and +2 for the Deception skill, for a total of +3. The mark is a 15 HD red dragon with a Deception skill as well, yielding a −4 modifier for the thief’s tall tale. The final modifier is therefore −1. The thief needs to roll a 6 or lower for the lie to succeed. The same attempt against an orc would require the thief to roll 11 or lower.

Thou hast no more truth in thee than a stewed prune.

Other Factors
             Liars should incur a −2 Tier 1 penalty when facing NPCs who commonly deal with fraudsters and deceivers (such as constables, bounty hunters, bailiffs, magistrates, inquisitors, guards, tax collectors, nobles, household courtiers, merchants, guild wardens, clerks of the markets, old beggars, vagrants, bandits, pirates, smugglers, etc.).

Fie upon thy false tongue!

            The number of marks present may also pose a challenge. In a group of 2-3 marks, roll a check for the one hardest to fool. For a larger group, use the most representative mark and add a −1 penalty to the liar for the first 10 marks, −2 from 11 to 30, −3 from 31 to 100, −4 from 101 to 1,000, or a −5 for more than 1,000.

Methinks thou dost protest too much.

            If new evidence comes to light that may cause a mark to question an earlier deception, the liar must roll a new check with a cumulative −2 penalty for each new clue uncovered (the DM does so if the liar is unaware of the event). If verifiable evidence obviously refutes a lie or a check fails at any point, the mark should react accordingly.

Go to! Thy tongue outvenoms all the worms of the Nile.

Reactions
            The DM should adjudicate reactions as in the normal refereeing process. The extent of a miffed mark might reflect the total penalties involved in the failed check, as follows:

Zero: Shrugs and is disappointed; −1 reaction penalty (and −2 Tier 1 penalty)

−1 to −3: Is mildly offended; −2 reaction penalty (and −3 Tier 1 penalty)

−4 to −7: Is angry and seeks retribution; −3 reaction penalty (and −4 Tier 1 penalty; may warn acquaintances about the liar)

−8 or worse: Is furious and seeks personal revenge, legal or otherwise; −3 reaction penalty (will never trust the liar again; may post a bounty for the liar’s head, sends minions after the offending character and known associates, etc.)

Speak, sir, and tell me once again what brought
thy hidden purpose to my lonely roof.

Obsolete Healing Spells?

Healer © Ludvik Skopalik, DeviantArt

Hopefully, I won’t be thought blasphemous if I say that perhaps most cleric healing spells should be replaced with something else. I’m exploring the option of allowing clerics to use their spells for purposes other than healing. Instead, a prayer beseeching one’s immortal patron to bestow healing on one’s party rather than a single individual would be more expedient. Check the chart below. I haven’t playtested this, so let me know if you tried these mechanics and how the session went. Thanks!

Number of Daily Prayers: This is the number of times clerics may beseech their immortal patron for healing, based on their experience level.

Piety Adjustment: The number of hit points added or subtracted from a prayer’s potency reflecting various factors. The base adjustment is equal to the cleric's experience level. If the cleric fulfilled its faith’s expectations with distinction, the adjustment is positive. If the cleric truly impressed its immortal patron, double the bonus. Conversely, if the cleric merely met its basic cult expectations, no adjustment applies. If the immortal patron is displeased, the adjustment is negative. If the immortal is seriously offended, the prayer should fail, as one might guess. If the prayer’s recipient is of the cleric’s own faith, add a positive modifier. If the recipient is of a faith or alignment the immortal objects to, add a further penalty.

Party Size: This is the number of people (including the cleric) intended to benefit from the prayer. Everyone receives the number of hit points listed (plus or minus Piety adjustments). Penalties can deny healing for larger party sizes. In a mixed group, the cleric specifies which individuals the prayer is intended for. The prayer’s range determines who may be eligible. If the base healing is zero (--), Piety adjustments do not apply. Ignore modified results of zero or in the negatives. Healing in excess of the recipient's maximum hit points is lost (they do not carry over to someone else).

Praying Time: In rounds. The prayer must be uninterrupted (i.e., the cleric does not sustain damage while conducting the ritual and isn’t the target of a spell that inflicts damage or requires a saving throw).

Examples: A level 2 cleric directs a prayer at a single individual; its unmodified healing bestows 8 hit points. If intended for 2-3 individuals, each receives 6. If the cleric was played well and met its faith's expectations with distinction, add +2 hit points to each recipient as a Piety adj. Those of the cleric’s own faith receive an extra +2 hit point bonus. On the other hand, if the immortal is thoroughly unimpressed with its cleric and objects to the chosen recipients, a total −4 penalty applies, negating any healing for 4 or more recipients.

Min/Max: The most a single recipient can ever receive from a level 2 cleric is +14 hit points (two BECMI cure light wounds spells yield 2d6+2 hit points). The prayer’s biggest advantage is when it’s used for a party of adventurers, with everyone recovering some or all of their lost hit points. In the best case (unlikely), the prayer can heal up to 10 hit points for each in a party of 6 (plenty for most level 2 adventurers), or a whopping 60 hit points total. A more likely scenario is a party of 4-6 adventurers; most should receive +6 hit points each (from a decent cleric praying for adventurers of various acceptable faiths). Overall, this prayer is far more advantageous than a single-recipient cure light.

And yes, you can include the party’s pack mule as a recipient if you wish. No immortal should object.

Other BECMI Healing Spells: Cure serious and cure critical spells should be eliminated. A playtest should determine whether cureall should as well; at this level it might not be much of an issue. Other healing spells remain unchanged (blindness, disease, and poison). Logically, the prayer described here could be reversed, which would provide the cleric with a potent weapon against nearby foes, though limited in its area of effect. A DM's option or a ritual only certain immortals would grant? Incidentally, I wrote an earlier article on “improved” spellcasting progression for clerics that may be useful: Click Here.

Either way, you have enough to throw around. 

Whatever happens, pray hard, smite harder, and give ‘em hell!

Of Vassals Badmouthing and Sucking Up

Out of curiosity (or rather my own amusement), I tried my hand at fleshing out interactions between a PC running a dominion, rival nobles, and their liege. Randomizations do not intend to replace role-played encounters between a vassal and its feudal lord. Events can generate outcomes between NPC nobles and their ruler, and produce a backstory. They may bridge an information gap in a fantasy setting where few political figures are defined. For example, counts or dukes command authority over some number of knights, untitled petty nobles, gentry, and other fantasy dominion holders (as defined in the D&D game), to whom they entrust parts of their own lands and authority in exchange for feudal obligations.

Feudal Homage Ceremony, ©2005 Santillana del Pacífico S.A. de Ediciones

Setting Up

1. Flesh out the Liege: Develop its personality and D&D stats. Sketch out what drives the liege. Pick one or two drives, or roll 2d8: 1. Ego, 2. Greed, 3. Honor, 4. Glory & Posterity, 5. Piety, 6. Frivolous Pursuits, 7. Power, 8. Knowledge (ancient lore, magic, science, political intelligence), etc. Is the liege benevolent and fair or a tyrant? This and personality affect how the liege reacts to situations at the DM’s discretion.

2. Define the Number of Vassals and their Natures (fighters, clerics, magic-users, monsters, etc.). Depending on the status of the liege (baron, count, or duke), the so-called vassals may be obscure petty nobles, castellans, lords of the manors, knights (etc.), to whom a common liege has entrusted a small dominion, such as a village and surrounding farmland, a stronghold, or a manor (as defined in mediaeval terms). For example, Duke William of Normandy stood as the liege lord of about 180 barons around 1066. A Norman baron might command some 5 to 40 knights entrusted with baronial land, and so on.

3. Establish a Pecking Order: The liege may favor some dominion holders because of possible family ties, their track records, D&D alignments, dominion size/population/strategic value, experience levels, etc. It’s about whom the liege favors and who is more likely to have the liege’s ear. Give each one a starting value from 5 to 15 (called POV for Pecking Order’s Value, or Point of View if you prefer), with 18+ being very influential and 0 or worse enjoying no clout at all (short of being dispossessed of one’s dominion). Assign a 9 to a new PC dominion holder.

4. Adjustments: Add the dominion holder’s Charisma modifier (if known) to its POV. Add +1 if the dominion holder and the liege favor the same character class. Incur a −1 penalty for certain differences (Cleric vs. Magic-User, Fighter vs. Thief, Dwarf vs. Elf, etc.) Be creative with this.

5. Political Environment: Define simple relations between each of the PC’s dominion-holding peers and how they feel about the PC (positive, neutral, or negative). Any specific motivations are up to the DM; some may be allies while others could be hated rivals forming cliques competing for the liege’s favor. Important: Pick which of these vassals are immediate neighbors of the PC’s dominion.

6. Mental Self-Flagellation: Read Oathbreakers, ©2024 Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry, HarperCollins Publishers, to get a good feel for liege and vassal conflicts in the Carolingian era.

Events & Outcomes

Plenty of things can go right or awry while performing the duties of a dominion holder. A list of events follows below for the DM to consider. Random numbers are included if needed; roll once per month for one of the liege’s other vassals (up to 4 audiences if the liege is a powerful noble with many solicitous vassals). The DM determines separately events concerning a PC and when they occur.

01-03. Attendance at Court: +1 POV for appearing at the liege's castle for major holiday feasts to demonstrate public loyalty and witness royal or ducal decrees. −1 POV for failing to attend without a valid excuse. Double the effect if the liege’s drive is Ego or Frivolous Pursuits.

04-12. Badmouthing a Rival: Using whatever method the DM approves (once per encounter). If successful, reduce the rival’s POV −1. If it fails, the instigator incurs a −1 POV penalty. Double if the liege’s drive is Honor.

13-15. Bravery or Clemency: +1 POV for performing an act of personal bravery or forgiveness on a battlefield in the liege’s name; −1 for demonstrating poor tactical sense, cowardice, or lack of spiritual faith (refusing mercy, unwarranted brutality, failure to thank otherworldly powers, etc.). Double if the liege’s drive is Honor, Glory and Posterity, or Piety.

16-18. Defeating a Notorious Monstrous Foe: +1 POV for succeeding with style and panache, or +2 POV if the vassal provides a tapestry showing the liege to be the illustrious slayer. −1 POV for news spreading about the vassal’s failure to defeat the monstrous foe. Double if the liege’s drive is Glory and Posterity.

19-21. Defeating Troublemakers: +1 POV for mercilessly crushing bandits, pirates, slavers, raiders, rampaging monsters, etc. −1 POV if the liege fails to quell the troublemakers after the liege requested the vassal’s intervention. Double if the liege’s drive is Power.

22-24. Dowry for the Eldest Daughter: Providing a financial levy to help pay for the wedding and dowry of the liege's eldest daughter upon her marriage. +1 POV for an adequate payment; −1 POV otherwise. Double if the liege’s drive is Greed.

25-27. Exploration: +1 POV for naming a wilderness geographical feature after the liege’s name, seizing exotic plunder for the liege, delivering a reliable map or navigation rutter to the liege, or converting natives to the liege’s faith. −1 POV if an exploration yields none of the above. Double if the liege’s drive is Ego, Greed, Knowledge, or Piety (as appropriate).

28-30. Fealty and Homage: +1 POV for performing the solemn, public ritual of kneeling, placing hands between the lord's hands, and swearing a sacred oath of loyalty to uphold the lord's honor above all others. −1 POV for failing to complete the ritual when it was expected. Double if the liege’s drive is either Ego, Honor, or Power.

31-33. Feudal Expectations: +1 POV for serving loyally in the field for the expected feudal term (up to 40 days per year) at the vassal's own expense, or −1 for failing to meet expectations. Double if the liege’s drive is Glory and Posterity or Power.

34-36. Fund or Win the Liege’s Tourney: +1 POV for accomplishing either. −1 if failing to fund the tourney after being solicited, or for performing remarkably poorly at the tourney in the face of a rival of the liege. Double if the liege’s drive is (as appropriate) Ego, Greed, Honor, or Frivolous Pursuits.

37-39. Guardianship: Allowing the liege to control or vet who the vassal (or the vassal's heirs) married, ensuring the estate didn't accidentally fall into the hands of a rival lord. +1 POV, or −1 when failing to offer such control when it was expected. Double if the liege’s drive is Power.

40-42. Hospitality (Purveyance or Gîte): Providing free food, lodging, and entertainment for the liege, his family, and his massive traveling retinue whenever they passed through the vassal's estate. +1 POV, or −1 for failing to meet the liege’s expectations. Double if the liege’s drive is Greed, Honor, or Power. Add an extra +1 POV (after doubling) if the vassal spent all dominion funds while endeavoring to satisfy the liege.

43-45. Hostage Exchange: Offering the vassal's own children to be raised in the liege’s court. While framed as an honor and an education, it practically served as a guarantee against rebellion. +1 POV, or −1 for failing to make the offer when it was expected. Double if the liege’s drive is Power.

46-48. Increasing the Dominion’s Financial Worth: In other words, paying significantly more taxes or other dues than expected. +1 POV, or −1 if failing to pay the expected dues, −2 if failing to pay anything at all. Double if the liege’s drive is Greed or Power.

49-51. Increasing the Dominion’s Military Strength: Use the War Machine mechanics. +1 POV, or −1 if the dominion’s armed forces have been reduced significantly for any reason. Double if the liege’s drive is Power, or Glory and Posterity.

52-54. Knighting of the Eldest Child: Contributing a significant financial gift to fund lavish celebrations and equipment when the liege's eldest child is raised to knighthood. +1 POV, −1 for failing to come up to expectations. Double if the liege’s drive is Greed or Honor.

55-57. Law Enforcement: +1 POV for settling unrest or an uprising among the dominion’s population or for helping with the same in the liege’s lands; −1 for failing to meet expectations. Double if the liege’s drive is Power.

58-60. Legal Counsel: +1 POV for sitting on the lord's court registry to act as a juror, passing judgment on legal disputes between other vassals, or helping draft local legislation. −1 for failing to show up when summoned or compromising the rule of law and political stability. Double if the liege’s drive is Honor or Power.

61-63. Library Expansion: +1 POV for enlarging the liege’s library with valuable works. −1 if the liege deems the books to be of low value or interest. Double if the liege’s drive is Greed, Piety, Frivolous Pursuits, or Knowledge (as appropriate).

64-66. Marrying a Favored Member of the Liege’s Family: +1 POV if the vassal’s original POV was 18 or higher, −1 otherwise. Double if the liege’s drive is Honor or Frivolous Pursuits. A liege may forbid such a union if the vassal’s original POV was below 18. If the vassal and the paramour elope, the liege declares the dominion in a state of rebellion (−10 POV).

67-69. Minstrelsy: +1 POV for delighting the liege’s court with poetry, singing, music, tales of chivalry or courtly love, clever jokes, or political satire for the amusement of feudal lords and ladies. −1 POV if the performance falls flat (failed a Charisma or Skill check). Double if the liege’s drive is Frivolous Pursuits.

70-72. Mystery Unraveled: +1 POV for solving a mystery of the liege’s interest (about the family’s history, the fate of some legendary item, a murder, a conspiracy, etc.) −1 if the tale is proven to be false. Double if the liege’s drive is Piety or Knowledge (as appropriate).

73-75. Ransom Payment: If the liege was captured in battle or abducted, the vassal is expected to contribute heavily to secure the lord's freedom. +1 POV, −1 for failing to meet expectations. Double if the liege’s drive is Greed or Honor.

76-78. Religious Fervor: +1 POV for funding a temple of the liege’s faith, bankrolling a crusade sponsored by the liege, securing salvation for the liege's soul, or swearing an oath on holy relics; −1 for failing to accomplish a deed of devotion when it was expected. Double if the liege’s drive is Piety.

79-81. Schooling: +1 POV for sponsoring the construction of a school or wizardly tower. −1 POV if the project fails. Double if the liege’s drive is: Piety, Knowledge, or Glory and Posterity.

82-91. Sucking Up: +1 POV for stroking the liege’s narcissism. The liege gets an Int or Wis check minus the vassal’s Cha bonus to sense the vassal’s sincerity. +1 POV if the check fails, −1 otherwise. Double if the liege’s drive is Ego, or Glory and Posterity.

92-94. Valuable Gift: +1 POV for sharing a substantial share of an adventure’s treasure, including money, gems, jewelry, trophies, objets d’art, fine weapons and armor, warhorses, an exotic or fantastic monster previously captured, spells, magical items of significant worth to the liege, the return of a lost hereditary heirloom, an item of significant magic or religious meaning; −1 POV for failing to share (if it came to the liege’s attention) or if the liege is disappointed. Double if the liege’s drive is Ego, Greed, Glory and Posterity, Frivolous Pursuits, Knowledge, or Piety (as appropriate to the nature of the gift).

95-97. Valuable Service I: +1 POV for performing a great service to a favored member of the liege’s family; −1 POV instead if the favor benefits a relative the liege disapproves of (if the matter is discovered). Double if the liege’s drive is Power.

98-00. Valuable Service II: +1 POV for performing a great service to the liege (anything worthwhile at the DM’s discretion, including a dangerous spy mission or a crucial act of religious significance to the liege). Double if the nature of the service is relevant to the liege’s drive, including Piety and Knowledge.

Gaining an Audience with a Liege

To prevent doling out too many POV bonuses and penalties, PC and NPC dominion holders have limited opportunities for private audiences to appeal for help, badmouth each other, or just suck up to their master. Unless summoned, a vassal must roll an Audience check to obtain private access to its liege. Roll a d20 under the vassal's POV score (add the vassal’s Charisma bonus, if any, to its POV score).

Far-Reaching Consequences

At the DM’s discretion, a POV of 18+ may earn a vassal the opportunity to marry into the liege’s family, receive extra land from the liege, become a trusted advisor, or obtain a title of office at the liege’s court (Seneschal or Lord High Steward, Marshal or Constable, Chamberlain, Chancellor of the Household, Lord Treasurer, Grand Falconer or Master of the Hunt, Master Spy, Wizard of the Court, Lord or Lady of the Faith, etc.). Other changes in status might be more appropriate for commoners, such as moving from untitled gentry to petty nobility, knighthood, or baronetcy. Any time a liege confers a benefit, the vassal’s POV drops −5 points. In its hopefully long life, a vassal may reach a POV of 18+ multiple times, or fail catastrophically (usually only once). Treachery is often fatal. A POV below zero results in the liege attempting to expel the vassal from entrusted lands. A tyrannical liege might seek to send a disappointing former vassal to a monastery or a convent, or order its execution. A benevolent liege might instead bestow a pardon and send a former vassal on a quest (or a crusade) to regain lost honor and status.

Rivalries and Alliances

A simple tool defines relations between vassals (positive, neutral, or negative). They also feature a POV score with their liege. This creates a political environment where some vassals come together because they share a dislike of a common rival (and the latter’s clique, if any). A PC land-holder needs to investigate and roleplay relations with nearby peers. With some effort, the PC’s player ought to know some or all of the other vassals' dispositions (positive, neutral, or negative) and their POV scores, and play accordingly.

Unfriendly vassals might run a whisper campaign to harm a PC’s prospects with its liege (looking for chances to badmouth the PC), or vice versa. A PC might establish its own faction of like-minded vassals endeavoring to influence their liege. At worst, vassals might engage in political intrigues, sabotage, raids, armed conflict, or assassinations. At best, they could gain enough influence with the liege to placate rivals and earn favors, all the while adventuring, as any self-respecting D&D character should.

Pain, Exhaustion, and Morale in D&D BECMI

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There isn’t an explicit set of mechanics handling pain and exhaustion for PCs, but there are decent mechanics for Morale that could be useful. Morale Checks could form the basis of a system for PCs, especially relevant during combat encounters.

When a check fails, instead of retreating or fleeing like an NPC or a monster, the PC incurs a temporary penalty to applicable stats. Here is a copy of the original Morale Check list from the Rules Cyclopedia, p. 103. I’ve numbered the entries for convenience:

1.    At the Start of an Evasion: When a group tries to evade encounters, the DM rolls to see if the creatures give chase.

2.    During a Chase: Every five combat rounds; success means that the creatures continue to give chase, and failure means they break off the chase.

3.    In Combat: When the creature is first hit, taking 1 or more hit points of damage.

4.    In Combat: When the creature is reduced to one-quarter (or less) of its starting hit points.

5.    In Combat: When the first death (on either side, PC or NPC/monster) takes place, the DM makes one morale roll for the remaining creatures to see if they wish to continue.

6.    In Combat: When half of the creatures are not free to act (because they are dead, asleep, controlled, etc.).

7.    In Combat: When the creature or NPC is subjected to a weapon master's Despair effect (as described in Chapter 5).

8.    At Any Time: When the creature or NPC is subjected to a magical item or spell that calls for a morale check. (Example: drums of panic, reverse gravity spell.)

Matching Effects on PCs

1.    Does not concern the PCs.

2.    Exhaustion: Make a Morale Check. If it fails, −1 to Con; Duration 5 Rounds.

3.    Pain: Make a Morale Check. If it fails, −1 to Str, Dex, and the next ML check; Duration 5 Rounds.

4.    Pain: Make a Morale Check. If it fails, −1 to all stats and ML checks. Duration: the encounter’s end.

5.    Psyche: Make a Morale Check: If it fails, −1 to Wis, Int, and Cha; Duration 5 Rounds.

6.    Psyche: As above. Duration: Until the situation no longer applies.

7.    Psyche: As above. Duration: Until the Despair effect no longer applies.

8.    DM’s call (magical effect may be related to Exhaustion, Pain, or Psyche).

 Bonuses: The Con bonus applies to Morale Checks related to Exhaustion (situation 2). The best bonus from Str or Dex applies to Moral Checks related to Pain (situations 3 and 4). The best bonus from Int, Wis, or Cha applies to Morale Checks related to Psyche (situations 5, 6, and 7).

Base Scores: This assumes the DM has allocated ML scores to the PCs’ character classes. ML scores increase with the PCs’ experience levels. It would be truly cruel to give 1st-level PCs ML scores of 3. It’s bad enough being a 1st-level vict… uh, hero. So, let’s start with a base score of 6. Adjust +/−1 for minor personality traits. A Paladin-like hero gets a +2; a berserker-like character enjoys a solid 12 and never cares about any of this nonsense (no modifiers for berserkers, of course).

  Level   Base Scores

    1-3             6

    5-6             7

    7-9             8

  10-14           9

  15-20          10

  21-27          11

  28-36     12 (max.)

Certain spells and intense emotions (hatred, anger, a sworn enemy, exalted faith, etc.) may provide bonuses during encounters. A Bless spell, for example, ought to give a +1 bonus to ML Checks. Other adjustments are possible, like −1 for being sick, starving, cold, parched in a hot desert, lost in a jungle, etc. Give it a try. See how that works.

Damaging Calidar Demons

Immunity to non-magical attacks is an old D&D BECMI rule designed to make high-level monsters tough to defeat. With equally high-level opponents, the issue isn’t much of a problem, especially in a magic-rich campaign world. However, this stumbling block can defy logic when a magical being faces an army of non-magical opponents, artillery, and possibly explosives. I’m not interested in throwing out the old rules altogether, but I did explore a caveat in CA4 The Iron Queen, for the sake of plotting adventures.

About Calidar Demons

The World of Calidar features three main categories of demons: wretches, rascals, and archfiends. The first includes low-level critters, the rank-and-file of demonic armies. They are vulnerable to +1 weapons and spells of any level. The middle group ranges from 10 to 15 Hit Dice, more like commanders and petty rulers in the lower planes. They require +2 or better weapons. At the higher end stand level-30+ beings that should tangle with demigods. Ruling Calidar’s dark underworld, they demand +3 weapons. In addition to this, mortals cannot harm an archfiend, regardless of spells and magical gear (see CC1, p. 217), unless a deity or divine artifact empowered them to do so.

The Loop-Hole

What if “empowered” mortals do not possess adequate magic to face a high-level fiend? The rule that makes the demons immune to non-magical weapons or to low-level spells still holds (i.e., they cannot suffer non-magical damage). However, I had a situation where mortals wielded artillery of great power but completely non-magical. I still wanted to feature a confrontation to resolve an adventure plot.

A solution arose from the old idea that “cold steel” harms demons. Taken literally, this would defeat the established immunity rule. On the other hand, it should affect demons in some way nonetheless. The workaround is that non-magical iron still cannot kill a demon, but it can cause discomfort: pain, much like holy water enraging demons. The greater the number of such attacks and the larger the iron weapon or projectile, the more they will hurt—without ever causing actual damage.

So, given the case in point, a dwarven space dreadnought armed with two heavy guns can certainly give trouble to an archfiend, without possibly killing it. Adding a good number of Space Marines and a party of fearless PCs will help stop the archfiend from boarding the offending warship and ripping apart its cannons or its bridge. Imagine a dozen or so bullet ants attacking a human intruder: they can’t kill, but they can inflict enough pain for their foe to recoil and flee the scene. Using this analogy, I used modified subdual mechanics. Naturally, a demon cannot be subdued like a dragon, but a successful outcome can cause it to flee. The opposing side can thus claim victory… however short-lived, perhaps, but a victory nonetheless. This is relevant to an archfiend’s status in the World of Calidar. Fleeing a battle will cause lesser demons to break free of their dark liege’s power, and other rulers to turn on their weakened rival.

These subdual mechanics rely on whether a demon fails a Morale Check. Use the mechanics listed in the Rules Cyclopedia, page 103. The inflicted damage is non-lethal but causes Morale Checks, as described in subdual mechanics. At the beginning of the battle, the archfiend starts with ML 12. A judicious DM plots a series of achievable goals or events before the encounter that reflect the actions of the PCs or their nemesis during the fight. As a result, the demon incurs cumulative ML bonuses and penalties. Eventually, if the archfiend fails a Morale Check, it flees, and the battle ends.

Preview: The Iron Queen

I have the pleasure of announcing the upcoming release of my latest project: The Iron Queen. Designed for Old Style Essentials (classic version), it offers a detailed description of a spacefaring dwarven ironclad and an adventure module: Raid on Teros. The release includes a map pack with six full-size poster deck plans and a collection of maps for use with the adventure, all rendered at full resolution. The Iron Queen will become available on DriveThru as a digital release fairly soon. The manuscript and all graphicsare now in the hands of proofreaders. Keep your ears to the ground. Click here for the latest updates.

All deck plans and outside views of the Iron Queen will include 3 posters labeled and 3 more unlabeled. The present png files are 86 megs and 10800 x 7760 pixels (or 36"x 26"). See the views below for an idea of the contents. Click on the images below for full-res views. Some images may take a minute or longer to load, given their sizes.

                            

The author warrants that no AI was used or harmed during the development of this project.

WWII Aviation Industry Part 4

This article has been more of a whopper after having had a look at French and British wartime industries (click here for France or Britain). I posted a flowchart of US aircraft manufacturers at the end of this article. I could barely fit everything on an 11x17 sheet, and I’m assuming I’m still missing some minor builders. I did not expand into engine or rocket manufacturers, so there’s no SpaceX and whatnot, except for a few involved at some point with aircraft production (fixed wing and helicopter). I added comments in the flowchart to help understand what happened to some of these companies, in 6-point type (sorry). You’ll have to zoom in to read that stuff.

The Prelude to WWII
      The US aerospace industry differed altogether from its European counterparts. There was no massive nationalization and forced mergers in the 30s and 60s like in France and Britain. Most companies started out as separate businesses in the 20s and 30s. Many were bought out and turned into divisions of large holding corporations, often keeping their brand names alive across multiple ownerships. Some got liquidated outright without a clear successor.
      Driving forces behind the US aerospace manufacturers involved a fast-growing airmail and civilian transport industry. The 1925 Kelly Act enabled the USPS to contract private carriers to fly mail across the country. Early on, the government subsidized the airmail industry, which gave a significant boost to aircraft manufacturing. The Airmail Act of 1934 targeted large holding corporations combining aircraft manufacturing and airline companies, among other services, to obtain better airmail contracts. This anti-trust measure split these corporations into independent companies (while the opposite was happening in Europe).
      The Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 gave the federal government direct oversight of civil aviation, airfares, routes, and safety (ending with the famous airline deregulation circa 1978). Passenger traffic rose quickly in the 30s, spurring companies like Boeing, Curtiss-Wright, Douglas, and Lockheed. Particularly noteworthy was the 1936-era Douglas DC-3, which initially served as a passenger airliner for American Airlines and later found great use in war as the C-47 Skytrain.

The Onset of WWII
      The US only started gearing up for war in the wake of the Munich Conference in 1938. FDR’s objective was to increase the number of US-built warplanes to 10,000 in a relatively short term. Funds enabled the Army Air Corps to order 6,000 aircraft and boost its personnel to 3,200 officers and 45,000 enlisted. Unlike France and Britain, there was no concern for air bombardment, military invasion, or lack of critical resources interrupting US industrial output. In short, major airplane builders could almost hit the ground running, joined not long afterward by companies like Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Packard, and Willys. Production shot from just over 2,000 military aircraft of all types in 1939 to more than 6,000 in 1940.

The WWII Expansion
      Government programs became crucial tools to expand industrial capacity. By 1940, they built new aircraft factories and leased them to established manufacturers in order for them to fulfil quickly ballooning contracts. Companies that benefited from these programs were, among others, Curtiss-Wright, Bell, and Douglas. The concept of government-driven industrial expansion parallels the strategy of so-called Shadow Factories in Britain, but executed at an American scale, with comparatively unlimited energy and resources. Civilian car manufacturers picked up the slack. From 1942 onward, they built no cars at all, concentrating on warplanes alone.

The Lend-Lease Act
      From March 1940 onward, aircraft manufacturers were free to sell aircraft to friendly nations, provided foreign sales did not affect US orders. Nonetheless, during the spring of 1940, France and Britain ordered more aircraft than the US government. Something I didn’t know before writing this article was that the U.K. had depleted its cash holdings and gold reserves to pay for US-built materiel, under the “cash and carry” policy required by the United States’ Neutrality Acts of the 1930s. France was in no better situation regarding payments in gold.
     The Lend-Lease Act of 1941 terminated the United States’ neutrality, right in the nick of time, further increasing deliveries outside the US until 1945. Up to 17% of the US’s total war spending, including oil, food, ships, and weapons, went to support allied nations, all free of charge and very much in line with FDR’s foreign policy goals. One of the main benefactors was Britain, which by then could hardly have afforded this support.

An Unexpected Windfall
      Britain’s precarious situation in the fall of 1940 prompted its government to carry out the Tizard Mission. It shared technology in exchange for the ability to produce classified materiel in the US, since industries in Britain were wholly involved in manufacturing urgently needed weapons. This indirectly relates to the article’s primary topic because the mission had a direct effect on US aerospace technology. The mission made key knowledge available to the US regarding radars, jet engines, and eventually, the Manhattan Project. Separately, the US and Britain shared their knowledge of codebreaking and cipher machines in 1941, which helped the electronics and computer industries emerge in the US.

Moving Along
      Reflecting the need to accelerate production, some warplanes had to be modified to fix flaws after significant numbers had been built. Some made it through despite flaws that, in some cases, could be addressed after delivery to the front lines. To help with such challenges, the Army Air Corps (before WWII started) and the USAAF (from 1941 onward) sent officers to act as liaisons between the manufacturers and the military. They focused on coordination, oversight, technical support, resolving production bottleneck issues, feedback, and improvements.
      One notorious example of post-production technical flaws is the SB2C Helldiver, otherwise known as the “Son-of-a-B**** 2nd Class” for its awful handling characteristics. It did, nonetheless, become the main dive and attack bomber of the US Navy, after all modifications were in place. Other even more famous and highly successful warplanes fit in this category for various reasons, such as the B-29 Superfortress, the P-51 Mustang, and the F4U Corsair. The P-38 Lightning could also be counted here. Such is the cost of deploying advanced technology as quickly as possible while at war.
      By 1943, more than a million people were at work manufacturing military aircraft—the largest industry in the US at the time. North American Aviation built a total of  44,000 aircraft, including the P-51 and the B-25. Meanwhile, Boeing upped the ante with 98,000 aircraft of all types. Chrysler built more than half of the 30,000 Wright R-3350 engines for the B-29, mostly out of their plant in Chicago. Throughout the war, General Motors built 75% of all Wildcats and Avengers, or a quarter of all carrier-borne warplanes. Ford’s massive plant in Detroit, Michigan, built more than 5,000 B-24 Liberators in 1944-1945. It produced 46,000 tons’ worth of airframes, more than half what Germany could manufacture and as much as Japan’s entire industry. I don’t know if they built ‘em “Ford Tough,” but they certainly built ‘em “Ford Fast.”

Global Achievements
      WWII led Americans to adopt the doctrine of air power. Designing, manufacturing, deploying, and servicing vast numbers of war machines during a global conflict—while supporting allies—remains an astounding accomplishment. One’s head spins at the thought of all those great machines: the P-40 Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-51 Mustang, F6F Hellcat, F4U Corsair, and the B-29 Superfortress, with or without the British Merlin engines.
      None of this would have been possible without the massive participation of women in the industry for the first time. Everyone remembers the poster showing “Rosie the Riveter.” The female workforce in the aerospace industry went from 1% pre-war to 65% during. By 1945, the US could manufacture 96,000 aircraft per year and, in total, did build more than 300,000 warplanes during the entire course of the conflict. More than 150,000 remained in surplus when the smoke cleared. America had become the world leader in both civilian and military aerospace within about 6 calendar years.

Later Acquisitions and Mergers
      US manufacturers started out mostly in the 20s and 30s before conglomerates swallowed most of them in less than a hundred years: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Textron, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and RTX. I kept the latter out of my flowchart: RTX (known before 2023 as Raytheon Technologies, formerly United Technologies) appears a few times in my tiny-type comments as United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. Here’s its summary according to Wikipedia: “The United Aircraft and Transport Corporation was formed in 1929, when William Boeing of Boeing Airplane & Transport Corporation teamed up with Frederick Rentschler of Pratt & Whitney to form a large (…) firm, uniting business interests in all aspects of aviation—a combination of airframe and aircraft engine manufacturing and airline business, to serve all aviation markets, both civil aviation (cargo, passenger, private, air mail) and military aviation.” Woof!
      It controlled stock in companies like Boeing, Northrop, Vought, Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, Stearman, what would later become United Airlines, and a number of others. They got hit with an anti-trust action in the 30s, forcing the company to split up. One part became Boeing, another what would later be branded United Technologies, and United Airlines. This shows the extent of Boeing Aircraft Corporation as early as the 30s. It’s still a tentacular conglomerate today. It funneled ten companies showing in the flowchart, plus more than a dozen others at an average $4.35B cost for each (if my Google-fu fails me not). All this comes with a sprinkle of mixed issues, including war profiteering, unethical conduct, pollution, subsidy disputes, industrial espionage, quality control, safety concerns, etc.
      I did not include Stearman in the flowchart due to a lack of space and relevance. It was created in 1927 and was bought out two years later by United Aircraft and Transport Corporation.
      Another large business in the early days was AVCO (for “Aviation Company”). It also controlled more than 20 businesses, including what would later become American Airlines. It also got pulled apart in the 30s. Eventually, Textron acquired its aerospace assets in 1984 while AVCO’s financial services went to Citigroup in 2000.
      One event on this flowchart connects with British manufacturer Hawker Aircraft, which I couldn’t show due to a lack of space. In 1994, Raytheon merged its Beechcraft division with the Hawker product line it had acquired in 1993 from British Aerospace, forming the Raytheon Aircraft Company. This was a division of the Raytheon parent company, whose roots go back to 1922 as the “American Appliance Company”. It was renamed Raytheon in 1959. As of 2012, it was the fifth-largest military contractor in the world, specializing in guided missiles. It merged with United Technologies to form Raytheon Technologies in 2020. Hawker-Beechcraft was resold in 2006, went into bankruptcy in 2012, and was acquired by Textron a year later. The Hawker brand was discontinued at about this time. It’s interesting to note that Raytheon started out as an appliance supplier while Textron emerged from the textiles industry ("Tex" for "textiles" and "tron" from synthetics such as "Lustron") before expanding into aerospace.

      Have fun exploring the flowchart.

Click on this image for its full resolution (wait 10-15 seconds for the image to load).

Click here for Britain's Shadow Industries.

Click Here for France's Raging Pre-WWII  Mergers 

Click Here for France's WWII Aviation